The switch to a 48-team tournament has been one of the most interesting aspects of the FIFA World Cup 2026. With more games being played across stadiums in North America than in previous versions of the tournament, daily fantasy sports (DFS) players need to adapt to this new approach.

More Goals and Surprises

The World Cup and other major sports competitions tend to lead to an increase in the number of fans looking to find out how to sign up on DFS platforms. This PrizePicks promo reveals how to get hold of bonus funds for the World Cup, MLB, NHL, and other leading events. Players need to create an account and then verify their identity to confirm that they live in a state where this type of sporting contest is allowed.

Those changes to the World Cup format have helped turn it into one of the most memorable sporting events of the year. While picking a fantasy team has always been exciting, it’s interesting to see the effect that any rule changes can have, and why thinking ahead can help bettors make smarter choices.

With 72 games played in the group stages, a record number of goals was expected, as reported by Time. However, what was less expected was that the average number of goals rose to a level not seen since the 1950s. With an average of 2.98 goals in the group stage, this impressive rate of goalscoring came amid a number of shocks and surprises.

DFS players who chose Lionel Messi were rewarded with six goals in the three group games, while other top players also delivered in some high-scoring games. Curacao and Cape Verde didn’t manage to score many goals between them, but they helped provide some of the biggest surprises as Curacao managed a 0-0 draw with Ecuador and Cape Verde progressed to the knock-out stage after drawing with Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.

Veteran Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha proved to be one of the best picks in this stage, as he became only the third goalkeeper in history to keep two or more clean sheets at the age of 40 or above. With 12 stages and a save percentage of 85.7%, Vozinha proved that sometimes choosing a lower-rated player who is going to see a lot of action makes sense.

The Relative Lack of Meaningless Games

One of the issues with past World Cups was the fact that the final round of group fixtures was often filled with meaningless games. The top two teams had often already qualified before the last game, while the minnows were just playing for pride with no chance of progressing.

This sometimes led to the star players being rested and backups from the roster being called in for these games, which was bad news for any DFS fans who had placed their hopes on superstars who miss a game. Few teams were able to rest players in their final group games, although Argentina notably left Messi out of the starting lineup for their final game against Jordan.

With eight of the third-placed nations going through to the knock-out games, this led to an exciting round of games where most teams still had something to play for. With goal difference one of the crucial factors used to separate teams, there was a lot of play and the chance for the top players to carry on racking up points. It has added up to make a contender for the title of best World Cup of recent times.